English · Slang Historical

cock-sure

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Certain: a metaphor borrowed front the cock of a firelock, as being much more certain to fire than the match.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chắc chắn, một ẩn dụ mượn từ khóa của súng hỏa mai

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “cock-sure” mean?

Certain: a metaphor borrowed front the cock of a firelock, as being much more certain to fire than the match.

Is “cock-sure” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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